Dark Side
by shadowsontherun
Summary: No one knows darkness better then Natasha Romanoff. She never thought anyone would ever notice that she was drowning in her past until she met Agent Barton. He was trying to understand her - she just needed to let him in. "You can't fix me Barton," she said quietly. "How do you know if no one has ever tried?" he shot back.
1. Chapter 1

**Dark side** -_ song by Kelly Clarkson_

**Chapter 1 - Let me in**

"**_There's a place that I know,  
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone_**"

Clint walked into a rundown gym in a tiny corner of the city and came face to face with a scene too often the reality of many SHIELD agents. There in the back of the room was Natasha repeatedly punching a practice dummy within an inch of its life. It was nearly 2 am and she was the only person here.

"Are you beating your ghosts into the ground Natasha?" he asked quietly from behind her. Natasha instantly froze and dropped her fists to her side.

"How did you find me?" she asked turning around to face him. His eyes instantly zoned in on her bleeding knuckles - so this is how she deals with all the stress in her life.

"There are healthier ways to deal with stress you know," Clint said avoiding her question. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not here because of stress," she said icily. He gave her a blank look.

"How many reasons can there be for an agent who has already perfected the art of hand to hand combat to be beating the shit out of a dummy at two am?" he asked warily. She glanced away from him and remained silent - however her silence was more than enough.

"I can't sleep at night either you know," he said as he started rummaging through a locker beside him.

"I doubt it's because of the same reasons..." Natasha said slowly. Clint shrugged.

"You never know - we might be more alike than you think Natasha," he said vaguely. She paused as she watched him look for something.

"What are you doing?" she asked cautiously. He finally found what he was searching for and pull out a first aid kit and some bandages.

"I'm not here to be your shrink Natasha - but those cuts look painful," Clint said walking over to her and placing the medical supplies on a table beside her.

"I can dress my own wounds Barton," Natasha said in confusion. She stared at his actions like it was a completely foreign gesture to her. He paused as that thought crossed his head - he should stop assuming anything about Natasha Romanoff was straightforward.

"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly. She winced. He noticed her internal battle and rephrased his question.

"Do you trust me enough to fix you?" he clarified gesturing towards her hands. She gave him a wary look at his choice of words but finally sighed and sat on the table in front of him.

"Anyone can do basic first aid," she mumbled as he cleaned her bruises and cuts with some alcohol swabs.

"Yeah? And when was the last time someone did that for you?" he asked as he started wrapping the small bandages around her knuckles.

"People don't normally ask things like that Barton," Natasha said as she watched him work skillfully - as if he's had to do this for himself a million times.

"Maybe you just haven't met the right people," he said glancing up at her.

A prolonged silence filled the space between them for a few moments as Natasha tried to find the right words she was looking for.

"You can't fix me Barton," she finally said quietly. He gently held her fully bandaged hands in his larger ones.

"Why not?" he asked staring at her straight in the eye. She stared back with equal intensity.

"It's not possible," she said with a faraway look. The depth of his eyes never faltered for a second.

"How do you know when no one has ever tried?" he asked seriously.

**A/N: A little story about Natasha and Clint's relationship before the Avengers. Please let me know what you think!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2 - _****Past is past******

**_If I show it to you now  
Will it make you run away?_**

"How much of Natasha Romanoff's past do you actually know Barton?" Coulson asked slowly.

"Enough to know it wasn't who she wanted to be," Clint said firmly. Coulson sighed.

"We've had some unsettling information turn up and it's making me cautious of putting her on vital missions," Coulson said warily. Clint stared at him in disbelief.

"Why is SHIELD penalizing only her for shit that happened years ago? Coulson – no one has a clean slate in this organization – _no one_. Not even us," Clint said giving him a knowing look. Coulson winced.

"I never said the system is fair," he said looking away. Clint narrowed his eyes.

"Why isn't it?" he asked furiously.

"Because not everyone has a bleeding heart like you Clint!" Coulson said angrily slamming a large pile of reports down in front of the tense archer. A loose page fell into his lap and he stared down at the black and white picture of a younger looking Natasha Romanoff.

"Who's your source?" Clint asked suddenly. Coulson paused.

"That's confidential," he said warningly. Clint snorted.

"If it's those hired ears you have posted across Eastern Europe good luck with getting reliable intelligence from them. They get paid by both sides," Clint said shaking his head in disgust.

"You may have been the first to be in contact with Agent Romanoff Barton - but there are still things we don't know about her," Coulson said firmly. Clint clenched his fists as his side.

"When will you stop judging her by her past and start to see that she's trying to change?" Clint asked angrily.

"The world doesn't give second chances Clint," Coulson said quietly.

"Maybe the world doesn't - but _I_ do," Clint said turning around and slammed the door behind him. He paused in his angry stomp when he caught a wave of red flicker around the corner. He turned around and stared down the empty hall.

"_Everyone_ deserves a second chance," he called down the hall. He laughed softly when all he got was silence. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.

Natasha leaned against the wall around the corner as she quietly listened to the soft footsteps of a man who has shattered all the expectations she's ever had about the world.

**A/N: I love slow builds. But since this is a short short it will be pretty fast in my books.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Love is painful******

**_"Or will you stay,  
Even if it hurts"_**

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Natasha shouted roughly shoving Clint in the wall. He winced as his sore back hit the wall.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Natasha screamed punching the wall beside his head and making a very apparent dent in it.

"I don't regret doing it Natasha," Clint said tiredly. She wanted to punch his face in so bad it physically hurt to restrain herself from hurting the already tortured body of the self-righteous agent.

"I NEVER ASKED YOU TO TAKE A HIT FOR ME!" she said angrily. Clint simply stood there and took her anger and all its burning flames.

"You didn't have to – if I could do it all over again I would," Clint said wincing from the bleeding knife cuts all over his arms.

"NEVER DO THAT AGAIN YOU HEAR ME? NEVER!" she said grabbing him by his ripped uniform and shaking him.

"Natasha – you're going to hurt him even more if you keep this up," Coulson said quietly from behind her. Natasha took in deep ragged breaths as she finally let him go and fell to her knees.

"Why would you do that? Why?" she asked as the anger finally receded and the raw feeling of shock settled in its place. Clint slowly fell to his knees in front of her and gently grasped her by the shoulders.

"Because I care Tasha," he said simply with the honest truth shining in his eyes.

** A/N: Aww that's sweet Clint. NOW GO GET FREAKING MEDICAL ATTENTION!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dark side **

**Chapter 4 - Runaway**

**_"Even if I try to push you out  
Will you return?"_**

Natasha glanced down at the blank tickets in her hand and up at the hundreds of destinations she could choose from. However every atom in her being was telling her none of them were the right one. She was going against everything her gut was telling her to do at that moment. She glanced back at the bus she got off to get here. No she couldn't stay if it meant she was still hurting people.

"Where are you going Tasha?" someone asked standing behind her at the busy train station. She froze.

"I don't know," she said slowly without turning around. She'd break her resolve if she turned around.

"It's a bit rude not to say goodbye isn't it?" the voice said downheartedly. She gripped the tickets in her hand tighter.

"I've never had to say goodbye before," she said staring straight ahead.

"Why do you have to now?" he asked quietly.

"Because I don't know what else to do," she said with a faraway look.

"What if I told you, you didn't have to runaway every time something bad happened?" he said hopefully.

"I- I can't," she said uneasily.

"Don't go Tasha," Clint said walking in front of her broken arm in a slink with bandaged head and all.

"How – how can I stay when _this_ is what happens?" she asked incredulously gesturing towards his condition. He shrugged.

"I'm a SHIELD agent Natasha. No matter where you go or how far away you are from me I'll always get hurt in the field. At least if you stay I'll have a partner to drag me home right?" he asked tilting his head to the side. She froze.

"You're blackmailing me?" she asked in shock. He grinned.

"Is it working?" he asked warily. She shifted from side to side as she glanced between the best partner she's ever had and the world she's never found her place in.

"You don't play fair," she said narrowing her eyes. He shrugged.

"All is fair in love and war," he said simply. She froze. He watched her really start to freak out and made a quick decision to save the situation.

"Oh shit I think I'm going to pass out," he groaned as he fell to his knees. Natasha quickly fell to the ground in front of him.

"Clint! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I will be – if you stay Tasha," he said with one eye open. She stopped worrying over him and her face instantly went stony.

"That's evil," she said angrily. He smiled softly.

"STOP LOITERING IN THE TRAIN STATION YOUNG PEOPLE! BUY TICKET OR GET OUT!" a grumpy looking old man towered over the two spies while giving them the stick eye.

"You girl. Where are you going?" he asked Natasha staring her down. She looked down at her blank ticket and up at the dead serious eyes of the train station manager.

"Um…" she said awkwardly.

The next thing they knew they were both kicked out of the station and sitting on the street with Natasha's backpack at her feet.

"Guess you're staying eh?" Clint said happily.

"Evil…" she muttered under her breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dark Side **

**Chapter 5 - Find the music**

**_"And remind me who I really am  
Please remind me who I really am,"_**

Clint was sleeping at his desk with his hair sticking out in all directions and his glasses skewed at an odd angle sitting on his nose. He was exhausted from the last 3 consecutive missions they've had to do in the last week. He would've likely slept into spring if he was left alone for too long.

However soft piano notes floated into his room from down the hall and caused him to sleepily awaken from his deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he pushes himself off the desk and glanced in the direction of the soft music.

He looked down at his unfinished mission reports and up at the sound coming from the room next door. Like that was a hard decision to make. He rose from his stiff chair and stretched out the kinks in his back before he made his way down the hall to investigate. He poked his head into the living room and froze.

In front of him was probably the most shocking sight he has ever seen and will ever see for the rest of his life.

Natasha was gracefully spinning across the room dancing in sync with the soft piano notes coming from a little CD player sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. She wore a beautiful red flowing dress that swirled perfectly with every turn and every dip she made. She made several faultless jumps as she spun around the room and locked eyes with him for a few moments as she passed his frozen form standing by the door. He simply couldn't compute that the hard cold Natasha he's known for the last year is the girl dancing so delicately in front of him at the moment.

The fact that she didn't stop when she saw him boggles the mind.

"You're even more beautiful when you dance," Clint said breaking the spell. Natasha gracefully completed her last spin and stood in front of him completely out of breath. It was nice to see colour in her pale cheeks that wasn't there on purpose.

"Someone once told me there are better ways to deal with life when it deals you a bad hand then beating dummies into the ground," Natasha said with a wary smile.

"Sounds like a pretty wise man," he said leaning against the door frame.

"I thought so too," she said tilting her head to the side.

**A/N: Well...i guess no one is reading this story. But I think it's pretty cute. Hello? Anyone there?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - breath**

**_"Everybody's got a dark side  
Do you love me?  
Can you love mine?"_**

Clint walked through the SHIELD base in New York and stared out the window at the stormy scene outside.

"Hey Agent Hill - do you know where Agent Romanoff is?" Clint asked listening to the thunder roll across the sky. Agent Hill pulled up her security detail on her tablet and scrolled through several files.

"She left the base half an hour ago," Agent Hill replied warily. Clint paused.

"_Why do you freeze up during storms?" Clint asked slowly. Natasha tensed beside him._

"It's just something I picked up when I was younger," she said vaguely. Clint glanced at her white knuckled wrapped around her gun.

"Like the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder?" he asked warily. Natasha instantly relaxed the grip around the hand he was staring at and her face melted into an emotionless expression.

"I think we should corner the target now," she said blankly. Clint sighed. Sometimes it's too easy to tell when he was talking to Natasha and when he was talking to the black widow.

"Can you tell Fury to reschedule our meeting?" Clint asked tarring his eyes away from the window and turning towards the front doors.

"Why? Where are you going instead?" Agent Hill asked curiously. He glanced down at his watch and up at her.

"I just had this hunch..." he said cautiously. She raised an eyebrow and turned her communicator on.

"Agent Barton got stuck in traffic Sir - he probably won't make it to the base today," she said slowly. Clint gave her a grateful look and quickly walked out into the rain. He got soaked instantly.

"I hope she had a jacket at least," Hill said shaking her head as she continued her way down the hall.

Clint ran down the street soaked to the bone but only a single thought was running through his mind at the moment.

What if? What if? What if?

His gut has never proven him wrong yet. He ran down an deserted path that led into a small park not too far away from the base. He slowed down as he entered the seemingly empty green field and walked towards the little playground at the edge of the park. He slowly came to a stop beside a lone figure sitting on a swing set. She was slowly swinging back and forth while staring up at the sky pouring its heart out. He quietly took a seat in the swing beside her and watched as she was lost in her own little world.

"It's raining you know," he said as the water on the swing soaked right through his jeans. She didn't even blink.

"I know," was all she said. He glanced up at her and watched as a lifetime of memories seemed to flash before her eyes.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked as he noticed her hands start to turn blue. She stared down at her hands as well and curled them into tiny fists.

"Yes," she said with the rawest honesty he ever heard in his life.

_20 minutes of silence later. _

"My sister died in a storm," she finally said quietly. Clint nodded as he swung back and forth beside her.

"My brother died in a fight," he said in return. She sent him a wary look which he didn't return - he was too busy reliving his own past.

"I couldn't save her," Natasha said wrapping an arm around her stomach. Clint stopped swinging and stared at the muddy ground in front of him.

"I killed him," he said looking up at her with the most haunted expression she has ever seen on the usually carefree archer's face. So he was just as broken as her. She looked away from his painful expression - he was so much better at hiding it then her.

"Did you love him?" she asked suddenly.

"Did you love her?" he asked back. She looked up at his eyes full of self-doubt and heartache.

"It wasn't enough," she said shut her eyes tightly. She heard the swing squeak beside her as Clint rose from his seat and walked over to her. She felt him crouch down in front of her and take a hold of her freezing hands.

"It's enough when it's all you had to give," Clint said honestly. She shook her head.

"It's not fair," she said leaning her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her cold frame and held her tightly against him. He felt her shake slightly in his arms as she held back a breakdown that was probably years overdue.

"It's okay to cry," he whispered. She gripped his shirt with her hands and took a shake breath.

"I forgot how," she said closing her eyes. She froze as she felt warm drop of water melt into her hair.

"How about I cry for you?" he asked softly. She hugged him tighter.

"Okay," she whispered.

** A/N: How do you guys think I did capturing their changing relationship?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - New beginnings**

**_"Nobody's a picture perfect  
But we're worth it  
You know that we're worth it"_**

Natasha was slowly walking down the busy New York street on a Sunday afternoon. Barton somehow managed to get SHIELD to give them a whole day off and now she was supposed to meet him at a little bakery he wanted to show her the other day.

"_Come on! You'll love it! You've been in America for how long and you haven't even had cheesecake?" Clint said shaking his head at his unbelievable partner. She rolled her eyes at his childishness. _

_"I guess it's now on my bucket list?" she asked warily. He snorted. _

_"Girl you have the worst bucket list in the world - it's full of boring normal things," Clint said looking up at the sky and shaking his hands silently mouthing 'why me?' Natasha raised an eyebrow at his antics. _

_"Will you stop the dramatics if I try some cheesecake?" she asked warily. _

_"YES!" he exclaimed with way too much excitement. She sighed. _

_"Barton you're a child," Natasha said plainly. _

_"Yes I know – are you envious?" he asked playfully. She glanced up at his eyes - he was only half joking. _

Natasha glanced around the neighborhood street filled with kids of all ages playing basketball to hop scotch to tag. She was so preoccupied with the surreal image of laughing children having fun together that she didn't see where she was going and suddenly tripped over a pair of little feet.

OHPH!

"Ahhh! My picture!" A little girl shrieked. Natasha winced as she lifted herself off the hard concrete and stared at a tiny dark haired girl who looked like she was about to cry. Natasha glanced down at the half ripped piece of paper in the girl's little hands.

"Oh…I'm sorry," Natasha apologized. She winced internally – great first day off the job and she practically made a child cry.

"I-it's okay. It wasn't coming out how I wanted it to anyway," the little girl said sadly. Natasha paused.

"What were you trying to draw?" she asked tilting her head to the side trying to make out the little scribbles on the ripped sheet of paper.

"Everything," the girl said with a sigh. Natasha had to cover her mouth to stop herself from smiling.

"Yeah, yeah missy. I know what you're thinking. But it's not impossible! I just have to get everyone on the street and all the stuff they are doing on this piece of paper!" the girl said holding up a fresh white sheet of paper and a pencil with a determined look on her face.

"Would you like me to give it a shot?" Natasha found herself asking before the thought had fully registered in her mind. The little girl seemed to consider that offer very seriously and finally came to a decision.

"Okay – but I'm going to sit here and make sure you did it right!" the girl said in compromise. Natasha laughed. She sat down beside the little artist and held out her hand for the pencil.

The next thing she knew 20 minutes had flown by.

"How does this look?" Natasha asked showing the little girl her detailed work. The girl gasped.

"It's perfect!" she squealed. Natasha looked up to see if she missed anything and finally noticed a new figure dressed in a loose blue shirt and dark jeans leaning against a car and watching her with a small smile on his face.

She made sure to draw him really well on the page with extra care.

** A/N: Continue or not to continue? That is the question. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

_**"Will you love me?**_  
_**Even with my dark side?"**_

Clint glanced around as he, Natasha and a couple of other agents were making their way through a dark forest looking for the entrance to the enemy's base.

BANG!

Everyone froze as they turned around to stare at the smoking gun in the hand of their newest agent/ ex-Russian spy.

"Did you just shoot at me?" an agent shouted at her. She gave him a blank look.

"No I shot the sniper 10 feet ahead of you," she said steadily. The agent spun around and could barely see 3 feet in front of his nose.

"What the hell? There's nothing there! You're a freaking psychopath! Why the hell did I get stuck with the double agent? You're going to freaking get us all killed with your reckless-" the spazing agent froze as Clint suddenly appeared in front of them and dropped an entire set of sniping equipment onto the floor.

"Agent Chase - shut up and grow some brain cells," Clint said as he narrowed his eyes at the shorter agent. The agent squeaked as he stared at the obvious evidence in front of him.

"I'm sorr-" he started to say but realized that Romanoff was no longer standing beside him.

"I found the back passage - it's under this log," Natasha called out a few feet ahead of them. They all gaped at her quick discovery. Clint rolled his eyes and walked up to her.

"Ready to bust some bad guys?" Clint asked with a grin. She gave him a measured look.

"It's different being on the other side," she said glancing around. He watched her take in the mission as a whole and likely compare it to everything she's ever done up until this point in her life.

"Just wait till we actually kick some butt of people who seriously deserve to get their face punched in," Clint said as he opened the ground entrance and allowed the other agents to climb down.

"That's a nice change," Natasha said with a light smile.

A/N: Oh Natasha. You live by the beat of your own drum XD


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

**"****_Like a diamond_**  
_**From black dust,"**_

Clint was walking through the SHIELD base mostly lost in a daze until he heard a conversation that felt like a bucket of ice water.

"Maria I don't know what to do! Romanoff has skipped her progress interview for the _fifth_ time! What the hell am I supposed to do with her?" Coulson asked in disbelief. Agent Hill shook her head.

"No this time it's for a legitimate reason. She's in medical right now," she said warily.

"Wait...why is she there?" Coulson asked slowly.

"I don't know - I didn't ask," she said cautiously.

Clint instantly spun around and sprinted down the hall like his life depended on it. Nowadays he always feels like he's half of a whole.

He bolted around the corner and swiftly blended into the medical wing of the base. He glanced around and tried figure out the best way to find her – without the doctors kicking him out. His eyes zoned in on the medical database at the back of the busy medzone. He needed a key card.

He noticed a bunch of nurses off duty walking down the hall and stepped into the middle of the hall so that they would have to pass around him. They didn't see him move and nearly crashed right into him.

"Opps! Sorry agent Barton! Didn't see you there!" one of the more absentminded nurses said with a laugh. He tried to smile back but it came out as more like grimace. The nurse furrowed her brow.

"You okay?" she asked kindly. He nodded unconvincingly.

"Yeah. Just passing by – have a good day nurse Jones!" he called out as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. When he turned the corner he took out a key card he swiped from the nurse and used it to get into the medical system.

"Where are you Tasha?" he said quietly as he searched through the data base.

DING.

_'Room 503 – Doctor May's Office'_ He read off the screen. Who's that?

"What are you doing Barton?" someone asked from behind him. He spun around and quickly shut off the screen behind him with his elbow. Fury stared down the guilty looking agent.

"Nothing Sir!" Clint said too quickly. Fury narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever it is – it better not cost me an agent Barton," Fury said steadily before he walked away going back to reading his reports.

"What does that mean?" Clint asked bewilderedly. He gave his oddball boss a weird look and shook his head. He had more important things to do. He quickly glanced at an office layout and sprinted down the right hall. He froze as he came face to face with the therapy section of the medical bay. He slowly walked up to the closed door that had the 503 on it and slid down the wall and listened as a conversation went on inside the room.

"Hi…." Natasha said awkwardly.

"Hello agent Romanoff. I'd like to say I'm happy to see you – but let's face it. I'm a doctor. Nobody wants to see me. Which brings us to you," May said glancing up from her notes at the clearly uncomfortable agent.

"Yeah…" Natasha said uncertainly.

"Why did you make this appointment Natasha?" May asked curiously. Natasha shrugged. Doctor May sighed – they were all the same.

"Most agents are dragged into my office kicking and screaming and mostly against their will. You seemed to be the type to kill us all before you stepped foot in a psychiatrist's office," she said frankly. Natasha shifted uneasily on the bed she was sitting on. Clint paused as he listened to the conversation. The hell? She came here _voluntarily_?

"I know – but I'm not doing this because of anyone else…" Natasha said hesitantly. The doc snorted.

"EH. _Wrong_. Try again," she said spinning her pen around her hand. Natasha watched the unorthodox therapist warily.

"How did you know it was a lie?" Natasha asked slowly. May stopped spinning her pen and gave Natasha a steadily look.

"Because your eyes are saying you want to change to be a better version of yourself. You want to be good enough for someone," the Doc said carefully. Natasha looked away – prediction confirmed. "You don't want to be here Natasha – but yet here you are," May continued quietly.

"He doesn't know I'm here," Natasha said staring out the window. Clint winced. That wasn't very true anymore.

"Are you going to tell him?" May asked. Natasha was silent for a few minutes.

"No – not yet," Natasha said quietly. Clint froze as he sat on the ground – she didn't want to tell him? Why not?

"Why not?" the Doc asked tilting her head to the side. Natasha hugged herself and turned away.

"Because I don't want to look weak," Natasha said finally. Clint sighed and pushed himself off the floor. It was time to go.

"You're not weak Natasha. Weak people can't find the strength in themselves to take a step towards change," May said gently. Natasha shook her head.

"I'm not as strong as him," Natasha said quietly. Clint paused as he heard this – _oh Natasha._

"_You're_ the strongest person I've ever met Tasha," Clint said quietly as he walked away.

**A/N: Aww Natasha is coming around. And yes...yes i do update too fast...but...can you blame me for my excitement?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

******_"It's hard to know  
What can become  
If you give up,"_**

Natasha sprinted around the corner and smacked right into another girl 10 years younger than her. They both drew a gun and had it aimed at each others heart instantly.

"Who are you?" the young brunette asked coldly. Natasha gave the girl a steady look.

"I am who you can be if you put your gun down and walk away," Natasha said carefully. The brunette tensed.

"You don't know me," the girl said angrily. Natasha shook her head.

"Do you even know yourself?" Natasha asked quietly. The girl angrily shoved the gun into her chest.

"Stop messing with me damn it!" the girl said furiously. Natasha didn't even flinch.

"Tell me - who are you when you take the gun away?" Natasha continued to ask.

"Natasha..." Clint said warningly through the communicator in her ear. She ignored him.

"It doesn't matter. No one would be able to see past our ledger anyway," the girl said with an odd tone of defeat weaved into her voice. Natasha relaxed ever so slightly. That's what she wanted to hear. Natasha glanced up at a frozen figure stationed at the highest corner on the street.

"I found someone who does," Natasha said putting her gun down and stepping up to the gun in the shaken girl's hand. She was playing with fire - but she had a feeling she wouldn't get burnt.

"I can be the first for you if you like," Natasha said staring the young girl straight in the eye. The girl stared back with a hundred different emotions flying across her face. Finally her face froze at a single emotion - hope.

"You're _crazy_," the girl said throwing her gun on the ground in disbelief.

"Yeah - and it feels great doesn't it?" Natasha said with a small smile as she heard a sigh of relief in her ear.

**A/N: LOL Natasha - a bit ****_too _**brave there.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_**"So don't give up on me**_  
_**Please remind me who I really am,"**_

"Okay is everyone ready?" Clint called out from behind the camera. Every single agent SHIELD has employed in the last 10 years was crowded onto the SHIELD training grounds for one massive picture of the decade.

"Just set the damn thing and get in this picture Barton! I don't pay you all to sit around and be some damn models!" Fury shouted giving Clint the stink eye. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, yeah old man I'm coming," Clint muttered under his breath as he started the timer.

"I heard that," Fury said dangerously. Clint paled and quickly took his place beside Natasha who was awkwardly standing in the middle of the large group surrounded by agents she didn't know. Clint promptly threw his arm over her shoulder and laughed at her bewildered expression.

"It's called a group photo Tasha - you have to smile!" he said shaking his head at her stony expression.

"This is stupid," she mumbled under her breath.

"No dear partner...this is _politics_," Clint said as he looked back at all the little fights that were starting to break out across the massive group of people who for the most part did _not_ get along. Suddenly a black object flew through the air and landed right in front Coulson himself.

Everyone groaned as a distinct smell filled the air.

"Alright whoever dropped that stink bomb is going to get a hell of a lot of paperwork! Mark my words!" Coulson shouted angrily. He didn't sound that threatening while holding his nose. It was next to impossible to stifle their laughter.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND SMILE DAMN IT!" Agent Hill shouted as the camera started beeping its last 3 second.

_FLASH_!

The picture came out as one of the most hilarious moments no one would ever be able to live down. Agent Hill was threatening a junior agent within an inch of their life, Fury was glaring at the camera and Natasha just warily watched the chaos unfold. The only person who was even smiling was Clint - and he wasn't even smiling at the camera.

**A/N: Hahaha! Group photos are always hilarious :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Dark Side **

**Chapter 12 - Rumours **

_**"Everybody's got a dark side**_  
_**Do you love me?**_  
_**Can you love mine?"**_

It was one of those rare times Natasha would dare step foot in the godforsaken SHIELD cafeteria. If you thought high school hallways were a breeding ground for rumours you haven't met SHIELD'S large base of junior shield agents. Their favourite pass time?

Mooning over hot unattainable SHIELD men.

Natasha bought a sandwich and sat down at a table near the back of the room as far away from the rest of the shield population as possible. However it wasn't far enough.

"Apparently SHIELD recruitment standards have dropped in recent months," one of the junior agents said sitting at a table 10 feet away from Natasha. She sighed and took out her mission reports- here we go again.

"What do you mean Mendel?" one of the other agents asked.

"As in we're accepting the whole damn circus now! From double agents, to mutants, to ex-assassins - nothing is sacred anymore," the obnoxious agent said gesturing to several new agents who didn't exactly sign up to be here.

"Forget sacred - you know the system is messed up when one of the best agents in SHIELD gets partnered with an ex-Russian assassin right off the field," a dark haired girl said sourly.

The tip of Natasha's pencil broke against her page. She took out another one and continued her work - however her writing was suddenly very sloppy.

"Crystal that ship has sailed," her partner said quietly beside her. She gave him a dirty look.

"I didn't ask you James," she said crossly. He sighed - people never change.

Clint walked in the cafeteria right in the middle of the scalding comments flying across the room.

"He's just too nice to say no. It's not like anyone else is jumping to be her partner," the girl said with confident shrug. The rest of them nodded.

"Are you sure they're not together?" one of the quieter agents asked. They all gave the tiny girl an look of disbelief.

"Are you kidding me Jess? That girl has crazy written all over her. He could do _so_ much better," one of the older agents said with a snort.

Clint narrowed his eyes at the gossiping agents. It was people like them that really pissed him off.

Time to give them a show and possibly a slap in the face.

"Hey Natasha. What are you doing tonight?" someone suddenly asked from behind her. The pencil in her hand paused on the paper as she recognized the voice instantly. She turned around and came face to face with a devious looking Clint Barton. The conversation instantly went silent around them.

"Weren't we supposed to work-" Natasha started to say but he beat her to it.

"-watch that new action movie together? We're still on for that right?" Clint asked swiftly cutting off her original statement. She gave him a suspicious look - that's not what they had originally planned.

"Okay...if that's what you want..." she said slowly.

"Great, it's a date! See you then," he said leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss on a cheek. Natasha sat stock still in her seat utterly in shock. He sent her a wink before he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out of the cafeteria leaving behind a hundred jaws littered all over the floor.

"H-h-h-e- her- they- HOW?" Crystal shrieked.

"5 years that man has been single! 5 _years_!" one of the older agents exclaimed.

Natasha shook herself out of her momentary shock and went back to reading her reports. If she kept her hopes up it would only hurt more when they came crashing down.

BEEP. She curiously glanced down at her phone and noticed the single text message from her partner.

_'I meant it,_

_8 pm - don't be late.'_

_- C_

The slight twitch of the corner of her lips was the only thing gave her mood away.

**A/N: Wow...almost ****_everyone_**** is saying this story is super cute...i had intended it to be more angst/hurt/comfort but...lol apparently I failed. XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**Dark side **

**Chapter 13**

**_"Nobody's a picture perfect_  
_ But we're worth it_  
_ You know that we're worth it"_  
**

Natasha and Clint were leisurely walking down a street on the quieter side of New York each trying to figure out what to say to your partner of 2 years and how to finally come to terms with something they've been tiptoeing around for just at long.

"So I know you don't really like crowded movie theatres so we're going to chuck that idea right out the window. What do you want to do instead?" Clint asked glancing at her curiously. He was surprised to see the slight nervous look on her face.

"I don't know – I've never been on a date before…" Natasha said slowly.

Silence.

Followed by more silence.

"I don't know if I should let that elevate my pride too much or cringe at how sad that is…" Clint said shaking his head. She shrugged.

"I was a bit busy during my teens…" she said looking away. He gave her a soft look.

"Don't worry Tasha. If it makes you feel any better I haven't been on a date in 10 years," Clint said awkwardly shoving his hands in his pockets. Now it was her turn to give him a look of disbelief.

"What have you been doing for the last decade?" she asked staring at him.

"Trying not to die in a job with a very short life expectancy," he said with a small shrug. She snorted.

"Try a job with virtually no life expectancy," she muttered.

"I have – it wasn't very fun. I'm glad you joined our side instead. Makes charming you a lot easier," he said giving her a small smile. The hint of red on her cheeks was a nice surprise.

"Seriously? Of all the cheesy things I've ever said _that_ made you blush?" Clint asked in shock. She flushed even more.

"No one's really ever tried to charm me for the sake of charming me before…" she said looking away. He paused beside her and lightly tugged at one of her short red curls. She gave him wary look.

"You're worth so much more than just a pretty girl to charm Tasha. Let's face it -most men in the world are idiots," he said quietly.

"I used to think that was true," she said thoughtfully.

"What about now?" he asked tilting his head to the side. She paused.

"Sometimes you meet someone who takes all your expectations about the world and shatters them into a million pieces," she said glancing at the moving crowds of people around them and back at him.

"I know that feeling too," he said quietly giving her a warm look.

"Um…Clint…?" she said warily.

"Yeah Tasha?" he asked twirling her hair in his hand.

"We're being followed…" she said blankly.

Clint froze and completely stopped moving.

"By who?" he asked slowly.

"Judging by the way they keep trying to take a picture of us every time I turn away I'm guessing no less than 20 SHIELD agents," Natasha said dryly. Clint gaped at her and his dark mood evaporated.

"You're kidding!" he exclaimed. She sighed.

"Guess our date's already been crashed," she said sadly. He shook his head.

"Nope! I will not let the first girl I asked out in 10 years to have a bad date. It would ruin my reputation!" he said in mock horror. She snorted.

"What reputation?" she asked dryly. He stuck his tongue out at her and glanced over her shoulder.

"Don't you all have better things to do then stalk people?" Clint called out at the mob they knew were hidden around the street.

"I knew this was a bad idea…" Coulson muttered from around the corner.

Clint and Natasha shared a telepathic link for a grand total of 5 second. There was only one sane thing left to do.

"RUN!" they shouted before they sprinted down the street.

"Damn they spotted us! Quick my 200 dollars is running away!" one of the agents said quickly shoving his binoculars into his backpack.

"You people bet on the weirdest things…" one of the slower agents mumbled as they got dragged down the street behind their little mob.

"This is worse than nosy parents!" Clint exclaimed as they ran through a crowded shopping district.

"I wouldn't know! But it's pretty damn annoying!" Natasha replied as they dashed across another busy intersection. Clint glanced behind them and tried to make out any obvious tails. It was the best against the best of course.

"I have an idea…" he said grabbing her hand and pulling her down another street. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she stared at his cheerful expression.

"You're having _fun_!" she accused suddenly. He flashed her an unapologetic grin.

"What's a spy date without a chase right?" he asked with chuckle. She rolled her eyes.

"You watch too many of those cheesy romance films Barton," Natasha said with a sigh.

"Oh Tasha you don't know what you're missing," he said with a laugh as he tugged her around another corner. She raised an eyebrow as his enthusiastic behavior.

"We're not going to lose them by running in circles Clint," she said as she watched him drag them down a random street obviously looking for something.

"I know. I'm just….there! Found it!" he said excitedly dragging her towards a sign that clearly stated '_subway entrance'_.

"Oh god not again," she groaned as he pulled her down the tunnel that lead to the underground passageway. Clint threw some coins into the ticket slot and they literally jumped half the stairs the led to the subway platform. They shared a look as they heard the loud rumble of footsteps rushing around the corner and glanced at the closing subway doors. It was now or never.

Clint and Natasha ran onto the subway train seconds before it shut behind them and laughed as they watched as a crowd of badly disguised SHIELD agents argued back on the platform.

"Oh my god that was crazy!" Natasha gasped as she tried to catch her breath. Clint laughed as he leaned on her shoulder and gave her a blinding smile. She looked up at him when he didn't reply and tilted her head to side.

"What?" she asked staring at his odd expression. He leaned his forearms along the wall of the train behind her and she suddenly realized how close they were.

"I'm going to kiss you," he said simply.

She didn't even have a second to blink before his lips were on her and her mind went blank.

So that's how a real kiss was supposed to feel.

**A/N: Haha can you believe this was their first kiss in this story? **

**(¯`v´¯)**

¸.•´¸.•*• ƸӜƷ

ღ°•. .•° ClintxNatasha °•. .•°ღ


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_**"Don't run away,**_

_**Don't run away," **_

Clint sat on a table as he watched Natasha shoot one target after another with perfect accuracy. She was a natural - but skills like hers came with so many hidden scars.

"You have a really good shot," Clint said suddenly. She paused.

"It came with a price," she said staring at the weapon in her hand.

"Everything has a price Natasha," Clint said quietly. She sighed and put the gun down.

"Sometimes I feel like mine was too high," she said turning towards him. He gave her a sad look.

"Do you want to learn archery?" he asked instead of giving her empty words that can't change her past. She gave him a confused look.

"What?" she asked. He jumped off the table and picked up his bow off the ground.

"Do you want me to teach you archery?" he asked again.

"But that's your art Clint - not mine," she said in confusion. He shrugged.

"I don't mind sharing," he said walking up to her. He replaced the gun in her hand with his bow.

"How does it feel?" he asked curiously.

"I feel like I'm going to whack myself," she dryly holding the bow at an awkward angle. He laughed and fixed her grip so that it didn't feel so weird anymore. He handed her an arrow and watched her stare at the sleek projectile.

"Remind me to shoot the next SHIELD agent that says archery is a wimpy skill. This is next to impossible," she said in disbelief. Clint rolled his eyes and walked up behind her. He positioned the bow in her left hand and used her right hand to pull the arrow back against the string.

"Now aim and let go," he whispered beside her. She glanced at his sudden close proximity and let go of the arrow several seconds before she could focus properly. They watched it soar through air and smack into the target board on the other side of the room.

She missed by a mile.

"Not bad for a first try," he said with a shrug. She gave him a dirty look.

"You're a distracting teacher," she muttered. He snorted.

"Now that is not my fault," he said holding his hands above his head. She narrowed her eyes at him. She promptly picked up a new arrow, pullrd back the bow and shot the target the farthest away from them.

Bang.

She made a perfect bullseye shot.

Clint gaped at her work.

"Okay so maybe it was slightly my fault..." Clint said sheepishly. She huffed and held the bow out for him to take back.

"It's nice - but not quite my style," she mumbled.

"Have you ever thought about learning a new skill that's not tied to unpleasant memories?" he asked suddenly. She looked up at his questioning eyes warily.

"The weapon doesn't matter Clint - it's not what leaves the shadows behind," she said quietly.

Clint brushed her bangs out of her eyes and drew a little pattern down the side of her face. She stared at him as his eyes followed the path his finger was making.

"Your scars may be invisible Natasha...but I can see them," Clint said softly. She glanced down as his chest and placed her hand there lightly.

"How many of your own do you have Clint?" she asked quietly.

"Does it matter?" he asked curling a strand of red hair behind her ear. She furrowed her brow.

"It always matters," she said uncertainly. He laughed softly.

"What if you could forget all the dark things that have every happened to you Tasha? What if you could start your life all over again? Who would you want to be?" he asked tilting his head to the side.

"I wouldn't do that," she said looking away from him. Now it was his turn to look confused.

"Why not?" he asked quietly. She look down at the well worn bow in her hand and held it tighter.

"Because then I would never have met you," she said finally looking up at him with all the truth in the world.

**A/N: Sorry guys! I had writer's block - I had no idea where the date should go so we're just going to keep time jumping. **


	15. Chapter 15

**chapter 15**

_**"Just tell me that you will stay,**_

_**Promise me you wil stay," **_

"Hey Tasha Fury just sent us a shit load of paperwor-" Clint started to say.

BOOM!

Clint froze as he walked through the front door. He quickly dropped the reports in his hand onto the ground and ran down the hall towards the worrying noise which was followed by an intense amount of cursing.

"Tasha? Natasha what happened?" he shouted. He burst into the kitchen and froze when he finally laid eyes on the scene in front of him.

"Russian spies were not meant to be in the kitchen..." Natasha muttered as she slowly placed the empty flour bag in her hand onto the table.

He stared at her flour covered body and up at the science goggles on her face and suddenly burst out laughing. Natasha narrowed her eyes at her hysterical partner.

"You think this is funny do you? Let's see how much you like flour covered hugs," she said dangerously. He mock paled.

"No..." he said in horror before he promptly ran down the hall.

"Why are you running away now Barton? I thought you weren't scared of anything? " she shouted as she ran after him.

"Cause my beautiful hair is too pretty to ruined by the likes of flour!" he called back childishly. She gaped at him.

"YOUR hair? Do you know how long this is going to take to get out of MY hair?" she said indignantly.

"There is a reason I cook in this relationship!" Clint said in a singsong voice.

"I CAN LEARN DAMN IT!" she growled as they ran down another hall. Clint laughed as he ran around a corner and froze.

Dead end.

"Oh shit," Clint muttered as he spun around and instantly got knocked to the ground by a speeding russian spy.

OMPH!

A cloud of flour rose to the sky.

"Ha! Success!" Tasha declared with her hand in the air as she stared down at her work with a trumpet smile on her face. Now they both looked like they just survived a kitchen explosion. Clint blinked some of the flour out of his eyes and suddenly gave her an devious grin.

The next thing she knew Clint had flipped them around and now she was the one lying on the ground with a smirking flour covered archer leaning on top of her.

"Who's the loser now?" he asked wagging his eyebrows at her. She brushed some flour off his nose and smiled when he looked like he was about to sneeze.

"Not me," she said softly.

**A/N: awww the song is almost over guys - I'll make sure to end it with a bang! :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

**_"Everybody's got a dark side  
Do you love me?  
Can you love mine?"_**

For the first time in the history of their SHIELD partnership Natasha didn't know where Clint was.

What the hell?

Natasha slowly walked down the hall of the SHIELD base trying to figure out where the archer could've gone. They just came back from a mission 3 hours ago. Now suddenly he had disappeared? She clenched the report in her hand.

No, Barton doesn't disappear - that was _her _job.

Natasha paused as she passed a hall with two familiar agents having a hushed conversation.

"Did Barton come and bug you yet?" Maria asked glancing down at her tablet.

"Ugh - no not yet. He's running around trying to get things done. I can't believe he's doing it all so last-minute!" Phil said in disbelief.

"What do you think Natasha will say?" Maria asked curiously.

"Honestly? I have _no _idea. She's a wild card - even on a good day sometimes she looks like she wants to shoot me," Coulson said warily shaking his head. Agent Hill rolled her eyes.

Natasha narrowed _her _eyes - like right now.

"How long do you think he'll be gone?" Maria said cautiously.

"I don't know - when is he planning on telling her exactly?" he asked instead of answering her question.

Natasha froze - she had absolutely _no _idea what they were talking about. What on earth was going on?

But more importantly - why hasn't Clint told her anything?

It was time to spy on her own partner.

"What are you doing Barton?" Natasha muttered as she spun around and stalked down the hall towards the security room - she could always charm her way into gaining access to all the camera footage. When that doesn't work she had a taser.

Natasha froze as she was about to round a corner when she heard the voice of the person she was looking for. There seemed to be a lot of secret conversations occurring in the hallways today.

"Now Priscilla...listen to me very carefully. I wanted to ask you-" Clint started to say very slowly. Priscilla's eyes lit up like it was her birthday.

"You finally want to go to that new pony farm opening with me?" the dark-haired girl squealed jumping up and down.

"NO!" Clint shouted smacking his palm over his face.

"But nobody wants to go to New Jersey with me!" she whined.

"Cause you're psychotic," he muttered under his breath. Her face darkened - a vivid contrast to her smiling expression a moment ago. He swore the agent was bi-polar.

"What was that Barty?" she asked darkly. Clint paled. There was a reason the tiny girl was a senior level bomb expert.

"Nothing! Just do me a favour and give this to Agent Romanoff okay?" Clint said passing her a white slip of paper. Priscilla furrowed her brow as she stared at the little white sheet in her hand.

"You know she's going to murder you right?" she said point-blank. Clint gaped at her.

"Why does everyone keep _saying _that?" Clint asked in disbelief.

"Cause you're stupid," she said simply. Clint sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just do it and I'll go to that...stupid...pony show...with you," Clint said painfully. The tiny agent's face lit up once again.

"Yay! She'll still shoot you but yay!" she exclaimed giving him a tight hug. Natasha's eye twitched when the girl didn't let go for a full ten seconds.

"Priscilla - let _go_," Clint groaned.

"Opps. Have fun being mysterious!" she giggled as he gave her a bizarre look before jogging down the hall.

Now that left two polar opposite agent types in the silent hallway. Natasha was about to slip away when the next thing Priscilla said made her freeze in place.

"Hey agent Romanoff - are you going crazy yet? By the way you need to brush up on your spying skills. I can hear your jealous rage from 30 feet away," Priscilla said aloud as she leaned against the wall. Natasha tensed - this girl was dangerous. She turned the corner and came face to face with the bomb expert.

"What did Barton tell you?" Natasha asked narrowing her eyes. Priscilla smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she said vaguely. She threw a little paper airplane into the air and walked away. Natasha held out her hand and watched as the little paper fell into her open palm.

"_Sorry I'll be coming home late tonight - something popped up and I need to check it out. Don't wait up!"_

_- C_

That just made her a hundred times more suspicious. Time for a stake out.

_3 hours later._

Natasha crouched behind a black car as she watched the dark building Clint had gone into an hour or two ago. It was -20 degrees outside and she was on the verge of passing out.

"Stupid SHIELD," she muttered as she blew warm air on her frozen hands to heat them up. Her SHIELD car had a tracking device - she couldn't possibly have used that for something like this.

Another 20 minutes later and she was about to call it quits when her cellphone started ringing. She took the vibrating device out of her pocket and stared at the flashing screen that said '_Clint Barton'. _

Coincidence? Not likely. She picked up the call anyway.

"Tasha where are you?" was the first thing Clint said in a no-nonsense voice. She winced.

"Um...at home?" she said with the most convincing voice she could manage. Apparently it wasn't good enough because he knew her too well.

"Liar - your cell signal is across the street," he said narrowing his eyes.

"Okay so maybe I'm sitting across the street behind a black car," she said in defeat. Damn it's hard to trick your partner of 3 years.

She looked up as the sound of boots trekking through the snow reached her ears and her eyes made contact with a pair of angry blue ones. Clint was wrapped in a thick black coat and had his phone still held to his ear.

"Oh my god Tasha," he said staring down at her slightly trembling figure. She glared at him - it was his fault for taking so damn long!

"How long have you _been_ here?" he asked incredulously. She shrugged.

"As long as you have?" she said warily.

"Let me see your hands," he ordered. She glared at him.

"No," she said childishly. He narrowed his eyes.

"Show me or I'll _make_ you show me," he said warningly. She reluctantly held out her blue-tinted hands for him to inspect. As he predicted they were ice-cold.

"We're going home _now_," he said firmly. Natasha was about to protest his overbearing attitude when she suddenly saw black dots appear across her vision.

"I can take care-" she started to say before her legs promptly gave out under her. She would've crashed to the floor if Clint wasn't there to catch her.

"What were you saying?" he said dryly as he held her limp body.

No response. He glanced down at the unconscious Russian and shook his head. He sighed as he picked up his hypothermic partner and carried her down the street.

"Tasha, sometimes you make life _too_ exciting," he said quietly as he walked home.

_1 hour later. _

"ACHOO!" Natasha sneezed. Clint handed her another tissue that would ultimately end up in the mountain of white fluff she has created around the couch.

"I _hate _you Barton," she muttered before she blew her nose for the hundredth time. He raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't the one who told you to hold a stake out in the middle of winter at midnight," he said dryly. She glared at him.

"What was I supposed to do when you were acting so suspicious lately?" she asked incredulously. He gave her a long look.

"Do you trust me Tasha?" he asked suddenly. She froze as he repeated the same words he said to her all those months ago.

"It's kind of hard not to anymore..." she said reluctantly. He gave her a warm look.

"Good. So that means you're going to stop stalking my every move and let me surprise you okay?" he said patting her on the shoulder. She gaped at his sneakiness.

"But I don't like surprises! ACHOO!" Natasha sneezed once again and fell back on the couch.

"Ugh I hate snow!" she groaned.

"You're Russian!" he exclaimed.

"Still doesn't mean I like snow!" she mumbled into the couch.

"ACHOO!"

** A/N: Ohhh what is Clint hiding? ;) We shall find out soon. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"_**Don't run away  
Don't run away,"**__**  
**_

"OF ALL THE DAYS FOR SHIELD HEADQUARTERS TO BE ATTACKED!" Clint shouted as he and Natasha ran down the hall.

"What do you mean?" she shouted over the noise of rapid gunfire. They both ducked as a half broken machine gun whipped through the air and crashed into the wall behind them. He huffed.

"I mean I'm _pissed_!" he said angrily taking an arrow out of his pack and shooting the sniper directly behind her. She rolled her eyes.

"What could possibly piss you off this much Clint?" she said sticking another round of ammo into her gun and shooting the two hired guns in front of her.

"I _mean_– oh come on!" Clint cried as they are stared at the masked infiltrator who had just unhooked a live grenade. Everyone froze as a grenade flew through the air and landed 3 feet from Natasha. Clint instantly dropped his bow and knocked them both to the ground just as the grenade detonated behind them. The world exploded into a million colours around them as the explosion was contained by the reinforced SHIELD walls.

"Be careful!" he shouted over the noise. She coughed as the air was suddenly filled with a thick cloud of plaster.

"I am careful!" she shot back before she promptly flipped them around and shot down the gunmen ahead of them. Clint flipped them again and shoved her down just as the enemy returned fire.

"Is that your definition of careful? That's what I call _reckless_!" he scoffed. She stared at him like he was crazy.

"Are you going to continue to insult my field skills or actually take out some infiltrators yourself?" she shouted just as her gun clicked empty. One of the masked infiltrators laughed at her misfortune. She growled and physically used the weapon as a well-aimed club to knock out the laughing bastard. They both froze as an explosion went off in the floor below theirs and made the entire hall shake and start to slant inward.

"That's it! To hell with tradition! Natasha I have something to ask you!" Clint shouted as he covered her from the debris that was falling from the ceiling. She stared up at him in disbelief.

"NOW?" she shouted as she took a knife out of his belt and threw it at the masked assassin hovering over Barton's shoulder. He paused as he watched the poor bastard fall to the ground – _damn _was he lucky she was on his side. He shook his head and look back at her questioning eyes.

"YES NOW!" he said before he promptly pulled her to her feet and shoved her against the wall just as a haywire cleaning machine zoomed down the hall bulldozing through the chaos. He stared at her with all the love in the world.

"Natasha Romanoff even if we are all about to die - will you marry me?" he asked her earnestly. Natasha froze and nearly crashed to the floor if Clint hadn't been supporting both their weight at the moment.

All the battle noises drained out of her senses and all she was left with was his words ringing in her ears.

_Marry me. Marry me. Marry me. Marry me. Marry me. _

"Natasha?" Clint said worriedly. Natasha started shaking.

"YOU'RE ASKING ME THIS _NOW_?" she shouted angrily.

He blinked.

"Um...yes?" Clint said nervously. She glared at him with the darkest expression he had ever seen. He gulped.

"Dude - you totally butchered the proposal code of conduct," a masked infiltrator said shaking his head beside the frozen duo.

"SHUT UP YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM TOO!" Natasha said before she promptly pistol whipped the poor bastard to the ground. She took and couple of deep ragged breaths before she glanced back at her nervous looking partner.

"Barton I may not know a lot about normal relationships - but trust me even _I_ know this is far from normal. This is a freaking _war-zone!"_ she exclaimed in disbelief. He laughed nervously.

"Is that a yes though?" he asked hopefully.

Her expression clearly said she wanted to strangle him. _Creak_. Both their heads whipped to the right just as a group of agents fell through the ceiling beside them. At the same time a hot mist started filling the hall through the cracks in the floor. Clint groaned – why me? Why _today_?

"_Shit_ the boiler is about to blow! Everyone get down!" Coulson shouted down the hall. Clint quickly glanced back at the only partner he wanted to have for the rest of his life. Her hair fell across her face as a wave of fire flashed over their heads - they drowned out everything except each other.

"What's it going to be Natasha?" Clint whispered holding her by her shoulders. She glanced back and forth between his serious eyes and at the mounting chaos that surrounded them.

She was barely able to mouth her answer before a bright light flashed across the room blinding everyone in sight.

.

.

.

.

.

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.

.

.

.

.

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.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3 hours later - the world was no longer a colorful battlefield.

Coulson fearfully stood in front of his angry superior waiting for his reprimand for royally screwing up his mission and causing this big disaster.

_SLAP! _

"That's what you get for allowing the entire underground anti-SHIELD movement to find their way to our location!" Agent Hill shouted angrily. Coulson winced from the sting but sighed in relief on the inside.

At least she didn't shoot him point blank

"Where are Barton and Romanoff?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Right there," he said as he weakly pointed at the room beside them. They both glanced into the white room and at the sad scene inside.

"She said yes! She said _yes_!" Clint whispered excitedly as he pitifully made a fist pump with his broken arm as he lay paralyzed on a bed in SHIELD medical. He was black and blue and all the rainbow bruises in-between – however he was in a euphoric state of mind at the moment. They both stood in the doorway and stared at the delirious archer. She turned around and gave Coulson a look.

"Tell me he doesn't look like that because he was too busy trying to charm his partner," she said cautiously. He raised his hands above his head.

"I can't blame him - she looks pretty charmed," Coulson said warily staring at the sleeping Russian agent lying on the bed beside Clint with a slight smile on her face.

"Where's the ring?" Hill asked curiously. Coulson pointed at the chains hanging from both their necks.

"Right there," he said quietly.

**A/N: Best spy proposal ever?…LOL...at least the wedding day won't be as crazy...right? ;)  
**  
**ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!** **SO SAD IT'S ALMOST OVER!** **Sob? **


	18. Chapter 18

**Dark side **

**Chapter 18 **

"_**Don't run away,**_

_**Promise you'll stay"**_

Natasha sat on a little white swing set in an apple orchard wearing a pretty little pink dress. She fiddled with a small bouquet of white flowers in her hands.

She looked up at the setting sun and leaned her head against the metal strand of the swing.

Will he come?

She glanced down at the simple silver band hanging from a chain around her neck. Memories of the last 3 years flashed before her eyes. The good and the bad - they were the happiest years of her life. One day will also shine a little brighter then the rest.

_It was the day after the worst disaster to ever strike SHIELD headquarters – but one of the happiest days in Natasha Romanoff's life. _

_Natasha and Clint were both still stuck in SHIELD intensive care unit – however they were high profile enough to get their own personal room – joy.  
_

"_I had a song you know? Granted it was a really cheesy song…and you probably would've hit me over the head when I would end up singing it off tune…" Clint said as he stared up at the boring white tiled ceiling as he lay on the medical bed beside his…fiance. Damn he liked the sound of that. _

"_I probably would – but I would've said yes afterwards too," she said softly. He glanced at her with a weary look. _

"_Really? Because I had this odd feeling that you were going to murder me before you said yes," he said dryly. She gave him a warning glance. _

"_Don't question the past Barton – it could still happen," she said ominously. Clint paled. _

"_Yes ma'am," he squeaked. She couldn't manage to keep her straight face for too long and ended up rolling her eyes. _

"_I'm glad you said yes Tasha," he said softly. She smiled and gave their intertwined hands a light squeeze. _

"_Where would you have asked if we weren't viciously attacked yesterday?" she asked suddenly. Clint noticed the slightly dejected look in her eyes. Well…there was nothing stopping him now. _

"_Hey Natasha – wanna go outside with me for a second?" he asked as he sat up instead of answering her question. She gave him a quizzing look – until it all clicked. _

"_Really?" she said flatly. He gave her a cheeky grin._

"_Yup – don't you want to break out of this prison for a few minutes and have a little fun?" he asked wagging his eyebrows at her. She stared at him when she realized he was being serious. _

"_Before or after Maria Hill kills us?" Natasha said warily. Clint shrugged. _

"_We'll plea insanity – it'll all work out," he said throwing the sheets off of them and picking up his coat and sweater from the chair beside him. _

"_Here you can have my coat," he said handing her the dark coat as he pulled his own sweater over his head. She took the jacket from him slowly and gave his thin sweater a wary look. _

"_You're going to freeze Barton," she said shaking her head. He huffed as he puffed his chest out heroically. _

_"No fair maiden – I am made of much manlier substance that the puny little men you've encountered in your short life," he said dramatically. Natasha gave him a blank look. _

"_So you're saying you didn't have the flu last week after we got pushed into an ice lake during our last mission?" she said frankly. Clint dropped his head in defeat and simply grasped her by the hand.  
_

"_Natasha I love you but you kill my style," Clint mumbled hopelessly as he dragged her down the hall. _

"_Why do I have this feeling you don't really mind?" she said with a small smile. _

_Meanwhile Doctor May was having a meeting with Agent Coulson and Hill in the medical bay. _

"_They're both technically fine – agents always consider themselves fine if they're not literally dying in front of you. However I had this feeling that if we don't watch them like a hawk they'll disappear into thin-" Doctor May's analysis was interrupted by a loud obnoxious squeal. _

"_Oh my god! Is that Clint Barton getting down on his knee? Oh my god is he proposing?" Priscilla squealed as she jumped up and down with her face pressed up against the window. _

_Everyone froze as they heard the pencil in Doctor May's hand break in half. _

_Uh oh. _

"_CLINT BARTON IT'S SNOWING OUTSIDE! HOW DARE YOU DRAG MY PATIENT INTO THE COLD?" Doctor May shouted as she stomped out the door and towards the two spies. Clint paled as the raging doctor approached. He started to protest when she promptly grabbed the poor archer's ear and dragged him away. Natasha gave her poor fiancé a little wave as she sat on the cold stone bench with both their chains in her hands. Guess they'd have to do it again later._

"_Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" he cried as he was dragged down the snow path. _

"_You and I have a serious medical date agent," Doctor May grumbled as she ruthlessly dragged him like a doll. _

"_But I'm already taken by prettiest and probably deadliest girl in the world!" Clint said as he watched Natasha laugh with the snow falling prettily on her hair. _

"_Too bad sucker," Doctor May said darkly. _

"_Natasha I love you! Wait for meeeeeeeeeee!" Clint cried dramatically stretching his hand towards her. Natasha shook her head at her fiancé's antics as she sat there wrapped in his dark coat with a small smile on her face. _

"_How on _earth_ do you propose to your fiancé twice?" Maria asked incredulously. _

"_You know Maria – those two have a tendency to always do the impossible," Phil replied. _

"_I'm still mad at you, you know," Maria said glaring at the already bruised agent. Phil laughed. _

"_You're always mad at me Hill," Phil said as he waved at Natasha to come inside. _

"_I have this strange feeling you enjoy my anger," Maria mumbled beside him. _

He'll come.

She swung back and forth as she watched the rolling hills on the horizon. A small flicker caught her eyes and she smiled. Clint Barton was suddenly seen frantically running down the side of the hill looking like he had a mob chasing after him.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to lose every single god damn nosy SHIELD agent on earth!" Clint called out as he ran across the field. She laughed at his haphazard look. He was half in his Hawkeye uniform and half in his messy black tuxedo.

"Even the best SHIELD agent has a hard time losing a tail eh?" she said playfully.

"They're like beasts Tasha! They mobbed me the moment I got out of Fury's office! I swear they bribed the security agents to hijack the security cameras!" he exclaimed as he ran up to her still fighting with his suit. She laughed at his crazy look and got off the swing to help him out.

He watched her warmly as she combed his hair over and fixed his collar for him. She glanced down at the missing piece of his tux.

"No tie?" she asked curiously. He froze.

"Shit! I knew I forgot something!" Clint groaned leaning his forehead against her shoulder. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay - it makes you look rough around the edges," Natasha said warmly. He pouted.

"I always look rough around the edges. I _am _Mr. Rough around the edges," he muttered. She smiled softly.

"Are you my Mr. Rough around the edges?" she asked softly. He winked at her.

"I am from today," he said holding up a chain with a gold ring hanging from it. She pulled hers over her head and held it in front of her.

"Promise?" she asked staring at him with the past, the present and the future shining in her eyes.

"I promise," he said with every fiber in his being.

And then he kissed her.

Fini.

**A/N: SOOOOOOB! IT'S FINALLY OVER! MASSIVE SOB FEST OF HAPPY TEARS? **

**Let me know how you liked the story guys! **

**Thank you for reading! Can you believe i wrote this in a week?  
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**P.S. Sequel? With the Avengers? **


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